Human obesity is a recognized health problem with approximately ninety-seven million people considered clinically overweight in the United States. Various chemical approaches have been used for treating obesity. In one such approach, a medicament which inhibits lipases is administered to the obese patient. Lipases are key enzymes in the digestive system which break down diglycerides and triglycerides into monoglycerides and fatty acids. Diglycerides and triglycerides have a high caloric content but are not absorbed by the small intestine until broken down by the lipases. Therefore, inhibition of lipases within the digestive system results in a reduction in the absorption of fat and consequently a decrease in caloric uptake. XENICAL is an example of a commercially available lipase inhibitor that is used for treating obesity.
There is still a need, however, for improved lipase inhibitors. For example, administration of lipase inhibitors results in stools with a high fat or oil content from the undigested diglycerides and triglycerides. Leakage of oil from the stool is an unpleasant side effect that often occurs when stools have a high fat or oil content. This condition is referred to as “oily stool” or “leaky stool”. It has been reported in U.S. application Ser. No. 09/166,453 that fat-binding polymers, when co-administered with lipase inhibitors, can bind with or “stabilize” the oil and thereby reduce or eliminate the leakage of oil from the stool. It would be desirable to develop a single compound which is both a lipase inhibitor and a fat-binder. In addition, a lipase inhibitor should be minimally absorbed by the intestines to prevent systemic side-effects. Other desirable features include ease and economy of manufacture.